The Thorntons
by Hearties1910
Summary: This is my take on what should have happened in the Season 5 finale.
1. My Rant

Feel free to skip onto chapter one because I plan to upload this and Chapter 1 at basically the same time if you are tired of hearing people rant about Season 5 of WCTH but I have been bottling this up for a week and half and I have to put this out there or I might actually explode. I would like to preface this by saying that this rant is going to be jumbled because that's literally how my mind is right now: jumbled. First, I am extremely angry. I am angry at Daniel Lissing and angry at myself because I know I have no right to be angry at Daniel Lissing, therefore I am twice as angry as normal. I want so badly to be able to say that I support Dan in his future endeavors and part of me does, it's just a bigger part of me hates the fact that he left after five seasons. He and Erin lit up my screen year after year on When Calls the Heart and I just feel like, no matter what other "stories they have to tell", it will never be the same without him and that breaks my heart into a million tiny pieces. Second, I feel betrayed. Betrayed by the people who I never thought would betray me like this: Hallmark, with Dan, Erin, Lori, and Brian included. They knew about this for a year and a half. A YEAR AND A HALF! I know Daniel doesn't owe me or the other Hearties any explanation but what boggles me is why they not only kept his departure a secret for so long but why they went ahead and threw everything we had been waiting for together like some science project they had been procrastinating doing and then did the night before it was due. Literally everything, from the engagement to the wedding to the pregnancy, felt really really rushed, which made it way less special to me. I have always had a problem with them drawing out their romance season after season, especially when Rosemary came into town (I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I really hate Rosemary. She is self centered and downright rude for no reason and the fact that we were suddenly supposed to like her after she met Lee and stopped trying to sabotage Jack and Elizabeth's relationship made me hate her even more because it's literally 3 seasons later and she still hasn't changed personality-wise. She has just stopped harassing Jack.) and somehow ended up married within a season and a half while we had to wait until halfway through the fifth season for the wedding we actually wanted to see, but this was just pathetic. And they had the nerve to call it a "gift to the Hearties" like they were doing us a favor. I won't lie and say the wedding wasn't beautiful but it was way overdue and really undermined by everything that happened afterward. They couldn't even get in a whole episode before Jack had to leave again. (Yes, I'm aware that Daniel had a death in the family and had to leave, but that just goes back to my previous point that this, meaning their wedding, should have happened a long time ago.) It makes me sick to my stomach, finding out that they knew a year and half in advance and we are just now finding out. I was thinking about the episode "Love and Marriage" earlier and I can't process how they could throw in the line "There's no danger" knowing that Jack was going to die. It would be different if Jack was going to die because that's the storyline they had originally planned but they threw that line in there knowing Daniel was leaving the show. That's not good drama. That's just mean. Third, I thought I was the only one who picked up on it but a lot of Hearties in the FB group are talking about how sad Erin looked during the FB Live the on Monday, and I agree. I held it together until she started crying over Dan leaving. I think she finally got to digest that no matter what anyone says, WCTH WAS about Jack and Elizabeth's romance. Now Jack is dead, Daniel is gone, and therefore not only are the ratings going to drop, but her best friend and partner in crime won't be on set when they go back to film the sixth season, and I feel awful for her because I love her and have seen any and everything she's been in and I want so much more for her than this. Fourth, can we talk about Lori Loughlin for a hot second? I love that woman to death but does anyone feel like lately, she's been less "I'm an actress and I play Abigail Stanton" Lori and more "I am an executive producer and I have to do damage control now" Lori? Because, literally throughout the whole FB Live and the whole Home Family interview, it just felt like she was repeating the same thing over and over again: "We respect Dan in his decision to move forward and leave When Calls the Heart but please still watch our show because it wasn't really our fault." I don't know why but that just rubbed me the wrong way. The bottom line is this: I'm fully aware that Daniel Lissing is an actor and that sometimes actors, while their fans may think they are fine right where they are, need to branch out and spread their wings. I am very hurt that he chose to leave, I am even more hurt the way the WCTH team manipulated its viewers by keeping such a big secret and shoving everything we've been loyally waiting five seasons for together. And I can honestly say that I really don't know if I can watch the show anymore, old episodes or new. When Calls the Heart was my guilty pleasure show. For me, the fact that it was my guilty pleasure show meant that I had a connection with it that I didn't have with any other show. It meant that I didn't have to water it down and belittle it by trying to explain what it was about and why it was awesome. It was me, myself, and When Calls the Heart. And now I feel empty. I think I've said everything I'm feeling. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my rant. Now unto the story…


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello #Hearties, I know I said I only wanted to write When Calls the Heart stories with a modern setting but I feel like show caved in on itself a little with that ending so I am really determined to at least give a few of you, myself included, the escape from the harshness of reality that the show was supposed to give. P.S. This is gonna be rated a hard T to make up for all the passionate romance that we'll never get to see.**

"Elizabeth," Abigail said, her smile growing larger by the second, "You're gonna have a baby."

Elizabeth froze. _A baby?_ Her heart leapt once her brain had processed the news. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face. _A baby. My baby. Jack's baby. Our baby. A little bit of me and a little bit of him. The greatest evidence of our love. A baby._

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, knowing the unlikeliness of it being anything else.

"I would definitely double check with Faith and Carson before telling Jack, but I really don't see what else it could be." Abigail told her, beaming. Elizabeth couldn't hide her joy even if she wanted to. If this was really happening, _a baby_ , then all of her dreams were finally coming true. She and Jack had talked more times than she was able to count about having children and now it was quite possible that baby number one was on the way. Elizabeth said goodbye to her dearest friend and made her way over to see the doctor.

"Elizabeth," Carson said fondly as Elizabeth walked in. " Back so soon? Is everything alright?"

"Actually, Carson, I think I might be pregnant." Elizabeth said, her previous smile still etched on her face. "I was wondering if you could confirm it."

"Sure. Here, lie on the table." He escorted her over and had her lie on her back. "What symptoms have you been having?" He asked while feeling around on her stomach.

"I've been really tired and run down, I haven't much of an appetite, I've had a lot headaches, and I almost got sick over the smell of coffee." She explained.

"Well that certainly sounds like pregnancy to me." Carson chuckled as he removed his hands for Elizabeth's stomach. "And I definitely felt something in there. Congratulations Elizabeth, you and Jack are going to be parents."

"Thank you so much Carson." Elizabeth said, letting a tear fall. She straightened her blouse and her skirt, hopped off the table, and made her way to the row house she shared with her husband. _I can't wait to tell Jack._

"Jack?" She called, upon entering her home. "Jack, are you home?" Jack had returned from training the mounties three weeks earlier and was now home for good.

"I'm upstairs." He called. Elizabeth took the stairs practically two at a time. "Whoa, why the rush sweetheart?" He asked upon seeing his wife out of breath. Elizabeth calmed her breathing before walking over and grabbing Jack's hands in her own.

"Jack," Elizabeth gazed into eyes deeply. "I have something to tell you." Jack saw her serious expression and immediately feared the worst.

"Elizabeth, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Jack asked, concerned.

"It looks like you're gonna have to start building our house quicker than you originally planned." Elizabeth started to grin again.

"Why?" Jack replied, confused.

"Because the Thornton Clan is growing." Elizabeth told him. Jack was stunned. It took him a good minute or two to form a coherent thought.

"You're- we're- I'm gonna-" He started. Elizabeth silenced him with a passionate kiss.

"Yes." She nodded. "We're gonna have a baby." Jack grabbed Elizabeth and spun her around. "Stop, before I get sick." She laughed.

"I can't believe this!" Jack wiped away a few fallen tears that he hadn't realized he had let fall in all his happiness. "I'm gonna be a father. Elizabeth, this is literally the greatest gift you could've ever given me." He kissed her hard.

The two of them found themselves bare and entangled in the sheets before long. Elizabeth intertwined her legs with Jack's and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack trailed his lips down to her neck and across her chest. Much to Elizabeth's chagrin, his mouth didn't stay there long. Instead, his lips travelled to her stomach where she could him talking to their baby.

"Hi there little one," He whispered. "I'm your daddy. Me and mama can't wait to meet you." Elizabeth fell in love all over again. "But until you get here," He smirked up at his wife, "We're gonna have a little mommy and daddy time." And with that, he flipped Elizabeth over, placed his gentle kisses on every inch of skin in reach and made sure she knew how much she meant to him.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews you guys left, they really lifted my spirits as I thought I was in the minority with my opinion. Keep 'em coming.**

Jack woke up the next morning still wrapped up in Elizabeth, both physically and emotionally. He was happy beyond belief to be where he was. He took this opportunity to study his beautiful wife's features. Elizabeth was stunning in everything she did but there was something so angelic and youthful about her in sleep. It took everything inside him to not reach out and touch her. He knew that now that she was expecting a baby, she needed as much rest as possible. His mind was still racing. After a while, Elizabeth stirred. As her eyes adjusted, she found her husband gazing at her lovingly.

"Good morning my love." She said, sleepily.

"Good morning." Jack answered, leaning over to give his wife a kiss. "And what would you like to do on this fine Saturday morning?" He asked, rubbing Elizabeth's arm lightly.

"Anything, as long as it's with you." She responded.

"Well I would love to stay in bed with my beautiful wife all day." He said, smiling.

"I think I can allow that today." She said, kissing him back. She snuggled back into his chest and felt him kiss the top of her head. As the two of them continued to lie in bed, Jack put his hand on his wife's tummy. He knew he wouldn't be able to feel anything this early in the pregnancy but it comforted him knowing that his baby was growing in there. He didn't know how long he would be around, but he prayed to God that he would be here long enough to see his children grow up. He wanted all of his children to know that even though being a Mountie was his calling, being a husband and now a father was his choice and he valued that above all else. He rubbed gentle circles all around her stomach and breathed in his wife's heavenly scent. She smelled like flowers and what can only be described as Elizabeth. His Elizabeth. Elizabeth loved how in love Jack was with his son or daughter and he had only just found out about it the day before.

"I know it's fresh news and a bit early and all but have you thought of any names you might like for the baby?" Elizabeth asked after a while.

"You read my mind." Jack smiled. "I've always imagined having a daughter and calling her Lily."

"What if it's a boy?" Elizabeth asked.

"You didn't let me finish silly." Jack replied, tickling her and making her squeal. "I love the name Patrick."

"I love those. Patrick was a name I had picked out as well." Elizabeth said, earnestly. "Lily Thornton or Patrick Thornton."

"We still need middle names though." Jack added.

"Very true." Elizabeth agreed. "How about Grace for a girl and Douglas for a boy?" Jack's voice caught in his throat.

"You would really name our son after Doug?" He asked.

"Yes, I would." She caressed his face. "He was a great man. I hate that I didn't get to know him more. I think naming our son after him would be the perfect way to honor his sacrifice."

"I love you so much Elizabeth." Jack kissed her lips. "You really are the perfect woman."

"I don't know about all that, but I love you too, Jack Thornton." She laughed him off.

"No, I mean it. After Rosemary broke my heart, I swore I would never open myself up again. I dedicated myself completely to my job. I didn't think any woman was worth the pain. But I was wrong." He ran his thumb over her cheek. "I was wrong because you are worth everything to me. I met you and my world changed. I may not have accepted it then, but I knew it, from the minute I heard your voice. When I turned around, and saw the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, I knew right then and there that I was a goner. You made my heart race and my head spin. I had never met anyone like you and I don't think I ever will again. You are my whole world, Elizabeth. You and this little tyke." He leaned down and kissed her still flat stomach.

"You are my world too Jack Thornton. I honestly don't think I could make it a single day without your love. You bring something wonderful out in me that I didn't even know existed and I thank God every day for you. I love you so much it hurts in the best way possible." Jack gave her lips one last passionate kiss before lifting himself from the bed. "Where are you going?" She asked, perplexed.

"I think, Mrs. Thornton, that we are way overdue for a long, hot, bath. Don't you?" He smirked.

"You know, Mr. Thornton, I think you are absolutely right." Elizabeth smiled, getting up to join him.

"Oh no. You stay right where you are. I'll heat the water and start the bath. Don't you move an inch. You're having my baby. Let me spoil you." He gently laid her back down on the bed.

"Jack you spoil me every day. And every night." She said, a little seductively.

"Well just humor me and let me spoil you like this now too." He said, not missing a beat.

"Alright." She agreed, chuckling at Jack's utter excitement. Jack left to go get their bath started. As Elizabeth lied there on the bed, she thanked her lucky stars for the man God had sent her. She heard her husband moving about in the kitchen and then back upstairs in the bathroom before he walked back in the bedroom to grab his lovely wife.

"Our bath is ready Mrs. Thornton." He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and guided her into the bathroom. Both still almost completely bare, all Jack had to do was remove his robe and step inside the warm bath once he had helped her into the water. Elizabeth leaned back against Jack's chest, enjoying the soothing effect the water had on her skin. She sighed as Jack rubbed her skin up and down with soap. He kissed her shoulder and her neck. He scooped the water with his hands and let it slowly fall down her back.

"Jack, that feels heavenly." She breathed, turning around as gracefully as she could manage. She straddled her husband, running her hands up his torso.

"You have no idea what you are doing to me, oh wife of mine." He smiled and closed his eyes.

"I think I do, oh husband of mine." She whispered back, leaning down to kiss his chest. His hands ran along her back as her lips continued their adventure on his body. They maneuvered themselves until they both found what they were looking for. After their water ran cold, they both got out and took turns drying each other off. "We should write a telegram to our families. They should definitely know about the baby." Elizabeth's face suddenly turned a bit sour.

"What is it?" Jack asked, worried.

"Do you think if we send it now, your mother will suddenly pop up in town like last time?" She asked. "Not that I don't love her to death but she can be a bit of a handful and I certainly don't think I can stomach anymore lard, especially now." She added, pointing to her stomach. Jack laughed, heartily.

"I don't think so, hon. I'm pretty sure her back is still healing. So I think we're good for now. But if you want, I can ask her to stay put until he or she gets here." He said.

"No, I don't want to insult her." She said, thinking. "I guess we'll just have to pray that she doesn't show up on a whim while I'm still pregnant, or my family either for that matter, but I don't see that happening, except for maybe Julie."

"Alright, I'll go and write them right now." Jack turning to go put on his clothes. Elizabeth grabbed his arm. When he turned around, she kissed him, the towel still wrapped around her.

"Sweetheart, I love that you want to take of me but I'm not an invalid. I am perfectly capable of accompanying you to the mercantile and writing a simple telegram to our family."

"Sorry love, I don't mean to smother you. It's just, well, this is a our first child and I know that can be a bit scary for both of us but especially for you since you're the one carrying them. I just want you to be as comfortable as possible." He admitted.

"And I love you for that." She smiled, rubbing his cheek. "But I promise you, I am a perfectly functioning human being. Okay?" She asked. Jack nodded. "Alright, lets get dressed and head to the mercantile."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello #Hearties, thanks again for all of your lovely reviews. I know everyone says this but they really do make my day. Keep 'em coming! I've just finished my first year of college so I should be able to update more often. And now, without further ado, here's Chapter 3.**

"Wake up sweetheart." Jack nudged Elizabeth.

"Why?" Elizabeth mumbled, trying to will herself back to sleep.

"Because it's your birthday, silly." Jack said, laughing.

"You know what I really want for my birthday?" Elizabeth finally turned to face him. Jack shook his head no. "Some more sleep." And with that, she turned back over and closed her eyes. Jack chuckled and got out of bed.

"Well then I guess I can take what I got you back to the mercantile and have Mr. Yost send it back." Jack smirked. At this, Elizabeth's eyes shot open.

"You bought me something?" She asked, turning once again to face him.

"Of course I bought you something." He walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "It's not everyday my beautiful wife turns 26." Elizabeth slowly got out of bed and took Jack's outstretched hand. He led her downstairs. When they had reached the last stair, Jack covered her eyes. She instinctively put her hands on her burgeoning belly. She was just over 7 months pregnant. Usually, she would be at school but Rosemary had taken over for her the previous week and would teach until Elizabeth was ready to return to the classroom. She smiled, remembering how excited her students had gotten when she told them she was expecting. She ended up letting the students go home early because she couldn't get them to settle down. They kept asking her questions about the baby. _Is it a boy or a girl? What will you name it?_ And her personal favorite: _How did it get in there?_

"Just a few more steps." Jack guided Elizabeth over to her present. "Alright." He removed his hands from in front of her eyes. "Open."

"Oh my goodness." She gasped. "Jack," her eyes started to water. "You shouldn't have." She walked over to where Jack had put her gift. On the dining room table, there laid the most beautiful jewelry set, a pair of pearl earrings and and a matching necklace. "They're magnificent." She threw her arms around Jack's neck.

"So I take it you like it then." Jack laughed. She kissed him deeply.

"Does that answer your question?" She smirked at him.

"I think I might need a bit more convincing." He said, retaking her hand and leading her back upstairs.

Later, Jack rode out to where his and Elizabeth's house was near completion. It warmed his heart to see members of his community doing this for him and Elizabeth. The town thought the world of the Thorntons. They had both done so much for Hope Valley and they figured the least they could do was help them build their home. Jack slid off Sergeant and walked over to where Mike was putting the finishing touches on the walls.

"How's it coming, Mike? What can I do?" Jack asked.

"Actually, I think we're just about done with everything." Mike replied, removing his gloves and setting the paintbrush on its tray. "I'd say you and Elizabeth should be able to move in once all the paint dries, maybe 3-4 days." Jack's face lit up.

"Really?" Jack asked, getting more excited by the minute. Mike nodded. Jack gave him a hug and once the place had been tidied up, everyone that had been helping headed over to Abigail's café.

"Hey Abigail?" Jack called. "Whatever they order, it's on me." Abigail nodded. "Also, can I talk to you for a minute?" Abigail nodded again and led him to the back. "I need a favor on Thursday."

"What is it?" She asked.

"I need you to distract Elizabeth for a few hours. Our house is finally finished and I want to surprise her by moving all of our stuff in. So that way she doesn't have to worry about any of it." Jack explained.

"Jack that's so sweet, but that's not a favor." She chuckled. "I love spending time with Elizabeth. Me and some of the other ladies were actually planning to surprise Elizabeth too. Thursday works out perfectly." She said.

"Excellent." Jack smiled. "I'll just bring her by around 11." Jack told her. "I would bring her earlier but she's not a morning person anymore."

"Oh trust me, I know how that goes." Abigail laughed.

"Alright, thanks Abigail." Jack said, heading back home.

Thursday arrived. Jack woke Elizabeth around half past 10 and they got ready to head to Abigail's for brunch. Once they had arrived, Abigail served them. After Jack and Elizabeth had eaten, he kissed her cheek and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked.

"I've just got a bit of work to do." Jack quickly answered. "I'll be back in an hour or two."

"Elizabeth, can you come to the back with me?" Abigail asked. "The ladies and I have prepared something for you." Elizabeth was intrigued. She followed Abigail to the back of the café only to find Clara, Molly, and Florence holding what appeared to be a quilt of some kind.

"What is this?" Elizabeth asked, smiling. The three ladies stood up and drew the quilt out to its full width and length to show Elizabeth. It was beautiful, designed with several red hearts spread all over it.

"We all did a section." Clara said.

"We wanted you, Jack, and your little baby to know that you all are always wrapped up in love." Elizabeth's eyes watered. She hugged all four of them and sat down, holding her new quilt. The ladies talked for the next hour and a half until Jack wandered through, looking for his wife.

"Hi Jack." The ladies greeted him.

"Hello ladies." Jack replied. "Elizabeth, are you about ready to head home or should I come back later?"

"No, I'm ready. Or at least this little one is." Elizabeth patted her stomach lightly, accepting Jack's outstretched hand. "Thank you ladies for a wonderful afternoon." Jack helped his wife stand and together, they headed out the door.

Jack led her in the opposite direction of the row houses.

"Jack, I thought we were going home." Elizabeth said, confused.

"We are." Jack smirked, not saying anything else. Elizabeth figured he knew what he was talking about and let him lead the way. Soon enough, she knew where they were headed and smiled. She hadn't seen the house in a good three months and her mouth dropped when she saw it in its entirety.

"Welcome home, Elizabeth." Jack kissed her head as she teared up for the second time that day. The two of them went into their home and Elizabeth gasped when she saw that all of their belongings had been moved in.

"Is this the 'bit of work' you had to do?" Elizabeth asked him, taking it all in and sitting on the sofa. Jack nodded as he joined her and she kissed him. "You are the most wonderful man I've ever met." She said, kissing him again. "Jack?" She whispered after a while.

"Yes?" Jack whispered back.

"Won't you show me the bedroom?" She smiled.

"I'd love to." Jack grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. Before he took her to their bedroom, he brought her into the room directly across the hall.

"Jack, this is lovely." Elizabeth said gazing around their baby's room. It was a light blue color with clouds painted at the top and grass at the bottom. There was a bookshelf filled with children's books in the corner and a beautifully carved rocking chair next to the handmade crib. After admiring Jack's work, Elizabeth pulled him by the collar into their room and showed him just how thankful she was for all he did for her.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: After careful consideration, unlike what we got for Seasons 4 and 5, I have officially decided that I will not be watching Season 6. I have learned that Elizabeth will be getting a new love interest which is not only stupid, but predictable and contradictory of everything the WCTH team has been telling us. If the show was about more than just Jack and Elizabeth, then why aren't you focusing on other people? The fact that you are giving her a new love interest means that the show IS about Elizabeth and Jack, or at least about Elizabeth. They keep saying that it's a community show and that it's about everyone in the community but they're still only focusing on Elizabeth and I'm sure as a result of her conflicting feelings about moving on to a new man, Jack. So umm yea Brian, Lori, and the rest of Hallmark, you can miss me with that bullshit (excuse my French). Let me not upset myself again. (Insert pause here where I walk away from my computer to go cool off) With that being said, I still do consider myself a #Heartie because no matter what anyone says, yes even you Candace Cameron Bure, I am a true fan. I stuck with the show for five seasons and supported everyone involved the whole time, so I will always be a #Heartie. I'm just a #Heartie who stopped watching after Season 5. And now onto Chapter 4…**

"Jack?" Elizabeth tapped her husband's shoulder. "Jack, honey, wake up." Her voice was calm but urgent. Ever since they had officially began living in their home, two months ago, Elizabeth had gotten the best sleep she could in her condition. The feather bed Jack had purchased had done wonders for her back. This morning, however, for some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she just could not get comfortable. And when she felt the first jab to her abdomen, she knew exactly why.

"What is it Sweetheart?" Jack asked, sleepily. Elizabeth got out of bed and stood by the dresser, clutching her stomach, as she felt a warm liquid run down her legs.

"I think it's time." She said, her teeth clenched, fighting through another pain. Jack shot up out of bed and ran to her side. As he rubbed her back, soothingly, he tried not to panic. However, her pitiful moans and groans were not helping.

"What should I do?" He asked.

"Jack, I need you to go get Carson. I need you to tell him that I'm having the baby and I need you to hurry." Jack didn't have to be told twice. He kissed his wife's temple, threw on a shirt and some pants, not even bothering to take off his nightclothes and scurried out the door to the infirmary, where Dr. Shepherd stayed.

"Carson?!" Jack called, entering. "Carson, it's me, Jack." He was frantic. Carson came out of his makeshift bedroom, pulling on his coat.

"Jack, is everything alright?" He asked, sensing Jack's urgency.

"It's Elizabeth, she's having the baby." Jack said, trying to control his breathing. Carson immediately gathered all the equipment he needed and followed Jack out the door. The two men returned to the Thornton home as fast as their feet would allow. Upon entering the house, they both could hear Elizabeth's screams coming from upstairs. Jack and Carson rushed up to find Elizabeth still clutching her stomach. She was lying in the bed with her back propped up on the pillows.

"Alright Jack, do you have anything like linens or shirts that you don't mind being torn into strips?" Carson asked, putting his stethoscope around his neck and listening to Elizabeth's tummy.

"We have some old towels in the cupboard." Jack said, going to get them.

"Alright, I need four long strips, one tied around each of the bed posts." Jack tore the towel into strips and tied them like Carson explained. "Alright now, tie the two next to me around each of her ankles, tightly." Jack did just that as Elizabeth held tightly to the two above her held. "Lastly, I need you to bring her a cold rag and something to bite down on because this next hour or so will be very loud and very painful." Jack hurried downstairs into the kitchen and ran a cloth under the water pump and took the stairs two at time to give it to his wife. He laid the cool rag across her forehead, making her sigh in relief. He handed her another cloth to put in her mouth and grabbed her hand. "Alright Elizabeth, you should be ready to start pushing in about ten minutes." Carson said after about an hour and a half had passed. Jack climbed behind her on the bed and rubbed her back. Elizabeth tried not to scream through the next few pains but she had never experienced anything like this before.

For the Thorntons and Dr. Shepherd, the next ten minutes passed excruciatingly slowly. Carson checked Elizabeth's progress periodically and finally he deemed her ready.

"Alright Elizabeth, when the next pain hits, I want you to push as hard as you can okay?" He asked. Elizabeth nodded. Jack leaned down next to her ear.

"Are you ready to meet little Patrick or Lily?" He asked her, smiling. Elizabeth nodded again as the next pain hit. She squeezed the strips tied to the bed post and screamed as Jack rubbed her back and pushed her hair out of her face. He kissed her sweaty temple and tried not think about how much pain his wife must be in.

"You're doing great Elizabeth, just relax now." Carson said. Elizabeth leaned back into Jack and waited for the next wave of pain to hit her. When it did, she jolted forward and pushed with all her might. "Almost there, I can see the head." Carson encouraged her. Elizabeth gave one more mighty push and the screaming baby was in Dr. Shepherd's arms. "Congratulations, it's a girl." He said. He cleaned her off, cut the umbilical cord, and handed her to Jack, who had climbed out from behind Elizabeth and was all smiles. Just as he began to speak to his daughter, he heard his wife scream again.

"Something's not right!" She cried, after removing the cloth from her mouth. "I feel like I have to push again." Carson checked her and sat back up smiling.

"A mother's intuition is never wrong." He said. "There's another baby waiting to meet their family in there."

Elizabeth barely had time to put the cloth back in her mouth before another pain hit and she was pushing again. Fortunately, the second baby only took one push before joining the world.

"It's a boy." Carson said, getting the umbilical cord cut and getting the crying baby boy cleaned off as well before handing him to his mommy. He did one final check to make sure there were no more babies hiding in Elizabeth's tummy before cleaning her off and returning his equipment to his satchel to be cleaned later. "Congratulations Jack and Elizabeth. I'm gonna head back to the infirmary to get ready for the day. If you or the babies start feeling bad, do not hesitate to come get me okay?" The two new parents nodded. "Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you." And with that, he made his way back to the infirmary.

"Do you think our parents are up yet?" Elizabeth asked a few hours later, cradling her daughter. Jack walked around the room, lightly bouncing his newborn son. He looked at the clock on the nightstand.

"It's about 9 o'clock. I'd say they should be getting ready to start their day." He maneuvered their son into the crook of Elizabeth's other arm. "I'll go and get them." Elizabeth nodded and watched Jack leave before turning to look down at what he and she had created together. With tears in her eyes, she began to talk to them.

"Hi, my beautiful babies. Mama is so happy that you're here. Me and Daddy having been looking forward to meeting you ever since we found out you were coming. Mama can't believe there are two of you. I love you so much." She leaned down to kiss each of their tiny heads, as tears spilled over her eyes. "Daddy is over the moon excited to watch you grow. He's probably going to spoil you rotten. Especially you princess." She said to her daughter. "But that's alright champ." She said to her son. "I can already tell you're gonna be a mama's boy through and through, just like your daddy."

Jack rode Sergeant to the row houses where their families had been staying for the past month. He entered Elizabeth's old row house in search of Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher and Julie. He walked up the stairs and knocked on each door. Julie answered first, already dressed and ready to conquer the day.

"Good morning Jack." She said, surprised to see him there. "Is everything alright?" She asked. Just as he was about to answer, Mrs. Thatcher opened the door with Mr. Thatcher not far behind her.

"Good, everyone seems ready to go." Jack said, smiling. "As of a few hours ago, you are grandparents again." He said to Grace and William. "And you are an aunt again." The Thatchers jumped for joy at the news and quickly followed Jack to the neighboring row house to retrieve Charlotte.

When Charlotte answered the door, Jack smile grew even wider.

"Good morning Ma." He said. "Or should I say Grandma." Anyone who knew Charlotte knew that she was not an overly emotional woman. But nothing could stop the tears pooling in her eyes. After giving her son a tight hug, she followed the Thatchers to their car as Jack mounted his horse. The family made their way back to Jack and Elizabeth's house.

Back in the bedroom, Elizabeth was still cooing at her newborns.

"I hope you two are social, because you two are going to be meeting a lot of people very soon." Elizabeth chuckled. She heard Jack enter the house with their families. As they quietly came up the stairs, Elizabeth sat up a little in the bed. Jack opened the door and led them inside.

"I would like to introduce you to Lily Grace Thornton and Patrick Douglas Thornton." Jack said, grabbing his daughter from Elizabeth's arm. Everyone's jaw dropped. The news had been just as much of a shock for them as it had been for Jack and Elizabeth.

"Two babies?" Charlotte asked. "You have two babies?" Jack and Elizabeth nodded.

"Oh sister!" Julie whisper shouted, so as not to startle her niece and nephew. She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you Julie." Elizabeth said, handing her son to her father, who had followed his youngest to his middle daughter's bedside.

"Hello there young man." William said, trying to hold back his tears. "I am your Grandpa, William." Patrick gazed up at the man. "You sure are a handsome boy. I bet you'll break a lot of hearts when you get older." Willam laughed and handed him to Charlotte. Grace, who was holding Lily, couldn't help her own tears.

"Hi there, sweet-pea. Aren't you just the cutest little thing in the world?" Grace cooed. "You look just like your mother when she was a baby." Grace bounced Lily for a few more minutes before handing her off to Julie.

"Oh Elizabeth, she's beautiful." Julie beamed. "I mean she is gorgeous. I just met her and I already love her so much." Elizabeth chuckled.

"I hope this isn't giving you any ideas Julie." She teased.

"Oh no." Julie replied, laughing. "Between you and Viola, this is enough for me. I'm content to just be the aunt that spoils them."

Once all the babies had been held by everyone, they were returned to their parents.

"Well, we'll let you rest dear." Grace said. "We are so proud of you. Really." They each gave her a kiss on the head as they headed back out. Jack saw them back to the car and returned to his wife and his babies. Elizabeth was nursing them when he walked back in the room.

"Wow. Now that is a sight for sore eyes." Jack said, giving his wife a kiss. "I know everyone said this already, but I really am so proud of you. You did it my love." He kissed her again.

"I couldn't have done this without you Jack. I mean it. I cannot imagine my life for one single second without you in it." Just then, Lily hiccuped. "I think she's done." She said removing her from her chest. "Can you burp her while Patrick finishes up?" Jack nodded and took his daughter in his arms. He gently patted her back until she let out a small burp. He continued to sway with her until she was asleep.

"I'm gonna move the crib in here for a little while." Jack said.

"You read my mind." Elizabeth smiled. Jack went into the room across the hall, laid Lily in the crib and pushed it into the bedroom. Once Patrick was fed and burped, Jack took him and laid him in the crib next to his sister. He crawled into bed, careful not to jostle his wife too much as he knew she was still rather sore.

"You should get some sleep while they are honey." Jack said, lightly kissing his wife's head again.

"Only if you promise to hold me." She said, snuggling into him as best she could.

"There is nothing I'd rather do." He said, as they both drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello #Hearties! Here is Chapter 4! P.S. Happy Late Mother's Day to Mrs. Elizabeth Thornton! P.S. The story with Patrick getting a shot is based on yours truly.**

 _2 Months Later_

"Hey Jack, I'm gonna run to the mercantile. I need to pick up some more supplies and some more clothes. None of my old ones fit anymore and the ones from before are very out of season." Elizabeth said as she slipped her coat on. Jack laughed and nodded.

"Alright sweetheart. We'll be fine right here." He responded. As Elizabeth headed to town, she felt a chill in the air and pulled her coat tighter around her.

"Elizabeth, how lovely to see you today." Katie Yost said upon Elizabeth's entrance.

"Lovely to see you too, Katie." She responded.

"Is there anything I can help you with today?" Katie asked.

"I don't think so but if there is, I'll let you know." Elizabeth smiled. Katie nodded and got back to work behind the counter. Elizabeth continued to browse around the store for another 20 minutes or so before making her way back up front to pay for her items.

Back at home, Jack was laying on his bed, holding his son and daughter against his chest, trying to get them to go back to sleep.

"Hey, it's okay." He soothed, rubbing their backs. "Daddy's here." The babies quieted a bit at hearing the familiar voice. "Daddy's here." He repeated. "And he's gonna tell you a little story." He scooted upwards until his back was against the headboard, brought his knees up, and put the babies on his thighs.

"Once upon a time," Jack started. "There was a beautiful young woman whose dream was to be a schoolteacher. So, she moved really far away from home to teach in a small town where there had recently been a tragic accident. When she got to the town, all the widows, that means women whose husbands died in the accident, gave her a bit of a hard time at first. But the schoolteacher was so generous and kind that it wasn't long before they all came to love her. A little while later, a handsome mountie rode into town. He and the schoolteacher didn't get on very well at first either. But the mountie couldn't deny the schoolteacher's beauty or her kind heart and it didn't take very long for him to fall in love with her too."

Elizabeth walked into a quiet house. She tiptoed up the stairs so as not to wake her children if they were sleeping. When she got to the top, she heard her husband's voice. She stood outside the bedroom door and listened to his story.

"Unfortunately for the handsome mountie, he had a really hard time telling the pretty schoolteacher just how he felt. In fact, there were plenty of times where he only ended up insulting her instead. He hated seeing her upset so he made it a point to never make her cry again. But alas, he was very unsuccessful in that endeavor. A few months after they met, another man rode into town and tried to steal the schoolteacher's heart."

The babies stared mesmerized at their father. Patrick kicked his feet and cooed. Jack laughed and pretended to know exactly what his son was saying.

"You bet the mountie was jealous Patrick. He didn't know what to do. As soon as the man came, he and the schoolteacher had an instant connection. The mountie could sense though that the man wasn't all he said he was. But he could never tell the schoolteacher that he was jealous of the man. So he tried to warn the schoolteacher about him. But instead, he only made her feel like she was stupid."

This time, it was Lily who was babbling along to her daddy's story.

"I know Lily but what can I say? Men aren't that smart." Jack tickled his daughter's tiny stomach. Elizabeth held back a snicker as she wanted to hear the rest of the story. "After the man took the schoolteacher to the town's dance, the mountie couldn't take it anymore. He had received word that his instincts were correct and that the man was dangerous. He couldn't bare the thought of anything bad happening to the kind schoolteacher. He would never forgive himself. After realizing for herself that the man was a fraud, the schoolteacher and the mountie hatched a plan to catch the man in the act. And guess what?" Jack paused for dramatic effect. "They did." Patrick and Lily smiled their toothless grins at him. "Once the man had been dealt with, the mountie and the schoolteacher became great friends. Eventually, the mountie was able to tell the schoolteacher how much he loved her and the two got married and lived happily ever after. The mountie only ever lived with a single regret." Elizabeth was now very intrigued. "And it was that he made the schoolteacher wait so long to be with him." By this point, the babies were having trouble keeping their eyes open. Pretty soon, both of them had nodded off. "The end." Jack whispered. Elizabeth walked in, tears in her eyes.

"That was a beautiful story, Jack." She kissed his lips, careful not to jostle the babies around.

"I didn't know you were listening." Jack smiled. "Let me go put these two in their room." He got up to put the babies in their cribs. After the surprise of having not one but two babies, Jack got to work building another crib. He had finished it about a week and a half ago as he knew they would be growing too big to share soon enough. When he returned, he found Elizabeth on the bed, clad in only a bathrobe, seductively waiting for him.

"I've missed you Jack." She said.

"I've been right here sweetheart." Jack said, crawling over her.

"No," She ran her hands underneath his shirt. "I've _missed_ you." She repeated.

"Oh." He got the idea. "Well I've missed you too but I didn't want you to feel rushed. I don't really know how this whole childbirth thing works but I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible."

"And that right there is one of the many reasons I love you. But right now, I need my husband." She said, nibbling at his earlobe. Jack didn't have to be told twice. He gently slid her out of her robe and tossed it over his shoulder. He then removed the rest of his clothing and set to work loving on his wife.

A little while later, they were woken up by Patrick's tiny but strong cries from the other room. Both Jack and Elizabeth threw on the nearest articles of clothing they could find and hurried to see what was wrong. Jack picked him up and carried him out of the room so as not to disturb his sister.

"What's wrong with Daddy's little man? Huh?" Jack suddenly froze. He turned to his wife. "Elizabeth, he's burning up." Elizabeth felt Patrick's forehead and sure enough, it was a lot warmer than usual.

"We have to get Faith. Carson's out of town." Elizabeth was frantic.

"Alright, I'll go and get her." Jack handed Patrick, whose cries had subsided to pitiful whimpers, to his mommy and went to change into something more appropriate for a trip into town. He mounted Sergeant as soon as he was dressed and went to retrieve Faith. Luckily for him, he caught her just as she was headed into the saloon.

"Faith!" He called. She turned at the sound of her name. She saw Jack looking worried as he rode towards her.

"Jack, what is it?" She asked.

"It's my baby boy. He's burning up and he won't stop crying." Jack looked to be on the verge of tears himself. Faith didn't hesitate.

"Let me get some things from the infirmary." She sprung into action and headed to the infirmary. She grabbed everything she needed, hopped on to Sergeant behind Jack, and together they rode off towards Jack and Elizabeth's home. Once they dismounted, they both sprinted up the stairs, following the sounds of Patrick crying and Elizabeth trying her best to soothe him.

"I hear someone isn't feeling that well." Faith said, entering the bedroom.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Faith." Elizabeth said, handing Patrick to her. Faith laid the infant down on the bed and removed his clothes. She took his temperature and listened to his heartbeat. "Well it seems that's he's caught a little bug." She explained. "I'm going to give him a small injection that will get rid of the fever and just make sure he eats regularly. I would let him lounge around for a little bit in his diaper just to help the fever break and skin to skin contact is good if he starts to get fussy. Alright, Jack can you hold his leg?" Jack held his son's thigh as Faith gave him a small shot. Patrick's cries worsened as the needle punctured his smooth skin. Even though it was over as soon as it began, Patrick would not calm down. He looked at his daddy as if to say, _How could you let her do this to me?_ Jack's heart broke. "Just come find me if his fever hasn't broken after about 8 hours. And keep an eye on Lily to make sure she doesn't start showing any of the same symptoms." Faith said as she packed up her things.

"Thank you so much Faith." Jack said. "Let me give you a ride back to town." As they left, Elizabeth took Patrick into the bathroom and began to fix a warm bath. She made sure Lily was still sleeping and after removing her clothes and Patrick's diaper, she slipped into the water. Since Patrick still had a fever, the water was cold to him and he continued to cry.

"I know baby." Elizabeth kissed his head and laid him on her chest. "I know it's cold but it's gonna feel better in a minute, I promise." She kissed his head again and let the water from the cloth she had grabbed run down his back. Soon enough, Patrick stopped crying and snuggled closer to his mommy. A little while later, Jack came back home and found his wife and son in the bathtub. "Hi sweetheart." Elizabeth smiled.

"Hello love, I see our little man is feeling better." Jack said.

"Can you grab him so I can get dried off. My toes are starting to look like raisins." Jack chuckled and grabbed his son. The loss of contact did not go unnoticed by the infant who immediately started whimpering again. Elizabeth got out and grabbed a towel. She got herself dry as fast as she could while Jack got Patrick wiped off and put in a fresh diaper. Elizabeth put on a robe and held it open so Patrick would be able to lie directly on her chest again. She sat in the rocking chair and Jack handed him to her once more. To everyone's relief, Patrick was comfortable. A few hours later, after Patrick had nursed and fallen asleep, Elizabeth checked his forehead. She got up softly and walked downstairs to the den, where she found Jack sitting on the sofa, reading.

"Hon?" She called gently so as not to startle him. Jack turned around and got up. "His fever broke." Relief washed over Jack's face as he kissed his son on the cheek. As soon as she made to hand him his son, he paused.

"Should I take my shirt off?" He asked.

"Yea, that's probably a good idea." She said. As he removed his shirt, she couldn't help but get a little breathless. She handed Patrick to his daddy and quickly went to start on dinner so as not to start something she couldn't finish. Jack laid down with his little buddy against his chest on the sofa and rubbed small circles on his back.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA. I was away at camp (as a counselor) for the past month and a half but I'm back now. Here is the next installment of The Thorntons.**

 _6 Months Later_

"C'mon Sergeant!" Jack encouraged his horse. "Faster buddy!" Jack had just finished his rounds for the day and was in a hurry to get home to his family. Elizabeth was making a roast and he didn't want to miss a single minute of it. "You got this buddy!" Jack pushed the horse as fast as he could go. The inseparable pair were only about a half mile away from home when Rosemary's car suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Jack yanked the reigns of his trusted companion. The horse stopped. Jack didn't. He cleared the car and landed rather hard on the other side.

"Jack!" Rosemary leapt out of the car and ran over to him. "Jack!" She gently shook him.

Back at the house, Elizabeth was just taking the roast out of the oven when she heard a small bang from behind her. She turned around to find her daughter clanking a spoon against her chair. Lily smiled her toothless grin when she met her mother's amused eye.

"I see you've inherited Daddy's sense of rhythm." She chuckled replacing the spoon with a rattle. "Shhh sweet girl or you'll wake your brother." Elizabeth prepared the rest of the meal and went to check on Patrick. Satisfied that he was still slumbering away, she made her way back to the kitchen. Normally, she wouldn't have time to make such a meal but since school was out for the summer, she could finally make something more hearty than shepherd's pie and spaghetti with meatballs. A little while later, she heard a frantic knock on the door. Rushing to see what could possibly be the emergency, she barely had time to fully open the door before she was greeted by the panic stricken face of none other than Cat Montgomery.

"Cat what is it? Why are you so out of breath?" Elizabeth asked, concerned.

"Elizabeth, it's Jack." She said. "There's been an accident"…

Elizabeth rushed to the infirmary. Cat had kindly agreed to watch the children while she was away. When she got there, she saw him. He had a small bandage on his head and his arm was in a sling. She practically ran over to his side and sat on the edge of the cot.

"What happened?" She asked him.

"Rosemary still can't drive a car." He chuckled. Elizabeth was horrified.

"She hit you with her car?" She replied shocked.

"Not really." He explained. "Her car never actually touched me. You know how the cow jumped over the moon?" Elizabeth nodded her head. "Well today it was more like the mountie jumped over the car. It was a really bad case of really bad timing." The last thing Jack wanted was for Elizabeth to be upset so he tried to downplay the whole situation. "I'm fine, I promise. Carson says I'm good to go home today." Elizabeth calmed down a bit at hearing this.

"Okay." She helped him up.

Carson finished up the report he was doing and walked back over to Jack and Elizabeth.

"I hope you feel better soon Jack." He said, shaking the mountie's good hand.

"Thank you so much." He replied.

"You're free to go home now but you need to stay off that arm for at least four to six weeks." The doctor explained. Jack's smile instantly disappeared.

"Four to six weeks?" Jack repeated. Carson shook his head. "How am I supposed to do my rounds?" He asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Bill to take over them for the time being." Carson answered.

Elizabeth could sense her husband's growing disappointment.

"Well now you've got a vacation." She tried to placate him. Jack groaned and shook his head.

"I guess four to six weeks without having to work could be fun and relaxing. More time with my family." He said.

"Exactly." Elizabeth agreed. "Now come on. There's roast at home."

As the Thorntons entered their home, they found Cat rocking a dozing Lily on the sofa.

"Thank you so much for watching them Cat." Elizabeth said. "I owe you one."

"Nonsense." Cat replied, handing Lily to her mother. "It was my pleasure. Your children are the sweetest. I hope you feel better Jack." She said, closing the door behind her.

"Are you still up for some roast?" Elizabeth asked, placing Lily in Jack's good arm.

"I'd have to be dead to turn down your roast and even then I'm not sure I could." He smiled.

Elizabeth returned her husband's grin and went to fix him a plate. As she was bringing his dinner to him, she heard Patrick wake up. Jack made to go and get him but Elizabeth stopped him.

"No, eat. I've got him." She went upstairs and into the babies' room. Patrick stopped crying at the sight of his mommy. She lifted him out of his crib, changed him and brought him downstairs to join the rest of his family. She set him on the carpet and sat down on the armchair next to the sofa where her husband was still enjoying his dinner. Elizabeth watched her son squirm around on the floor before mounting himself on his hands and knees. Jack, still entranced in his roast, failed to notice.

"Jack!" Elizabeth called. "Jack look!" Jack followed her gaze down to Patrick just in time to see him crawl for the first time. "Crawl to daddy Patrick." She encouraged. It took a few tries but Patrick finally made it all the way to his father. Jack was a little saddened that his arm prevented him from picking up his other baby but he was too proud to let it get to him.

"That's my big boy." Jack ruffled his son's hair lightly and smiled. Patrick crawled around for a few more minutes until he became hungry and started sucking on his fist. Elizabeth lifted her son into her lap and unbuttoned her blouse.

"Hi sweet girl." Elizabeth looked over to see Jack talking to his daughter who had just woken up. "How's daddy's princess today? I missed you so much."

"Dada." Jack and Elizabeth froze.

"Did she say-"

"I think she did."

"Dada." Lily repeated.

"She definitely did. Oh my goodness." Elizabeth teared up. "I can't believe my babies are crawling and talking."

"Me neither. They're growing up so fast."

After putting Patrick and Lily to bed, Elizabeth crawled into bed on Jack's good side and nuzzled his neck, falling asleep rather quickly. Jack lay in bed awake a little while longer, replaying the events of that day. His babies were just what he needed after what had happened to him.

 _3 1/2 weeks later_

Jack felt like he was being smothered. And the worst part was that he knew he wasn't. He was well aware that his wife was trying her hardest not to treat him like an invalid but he just felt so useless. And that uselessness unfortunately turned to anger and lashing out and saying things that he didn't mean. As of the day before, he had stopped wearing the sling but he knew he still needed to stay off of his arm for another week or so. Elizabeth could sense his discomfort.

"What do you say we go on a picnic?" She asked, that day.

"A picnic sounds nice." He answered.

"Perfect. Let me get the children ready." With that, she headed to the children's room and gathered them both in her arms. She'd had to learn quickly how to carry both of them at once. When she got back downstairs, she placed both of them in their travel carriage. She went into the kitchen to pack the picnic basket only to find that Jack had taken the liberty of attempting it himself. She saw him struggling to open the jar of mayonnaise and went to help him.

"It's alright, I've got it." He said.

"No it's okay, let me help." She reached for the jar again, only for him to yank it out of her grasp.

"I SAID I'VE GOT IT! I DON'T NEED YOU TO DO EVERYTHING FOR ME! JUST GIVE ME SOME SPACE!" He knew before even closing his mouth that he had hurt her. She didn't say anything. She just turned on her heel and left the kitchen. To his horror, a few seconds later, he heard the front door slam. The loud noise had startled Patrick and Lily, who then started wailing for some sort of comfort. Jack ran over to them to try to calm them down. There wasn't much he could do physically because of his arm but he knew another way he could get them settled down. He started singing. Danny Boy was their favorite. That, they had both got from him. Whenever they were upset, Elizabeth would sing it to them and they would instantly calm down. Jack's singing voice was nowhere near as soothing and soft as his wife's but it did the trick this time. He threw the unopened jar of mayonnaise into the basket, prepared two travel bags, and set off with his children toward Clara's row house.

He knocked three times and waited for her to answer.

"Jack, it's good to see you. I'm glad your arm is doing better." She said before noticing Elizabeth's absence. "Where's Elizabeth?" She asked.

"That's actually why I'm here." He said. "I'm afraid I messed up big time and I was wondering if you would watch Patrick and Lily for me. I have everything they need here." His voice was almost pleading.

"Of course. Take as much time as you need." Together, they lifted the carriage into the house and Jack kissed each of his babies goodbye before heading off in search of his wife.

After trying the church, the saloon, and even their hillside to know avail, Jack had pretty much given up. He thought of one more place and even though it seemed rather unlikely, he tried it anyways. As he reached the entrance of the mine, he could hear her muffled sobs. He silently said a prayer of thanks before grabbing the basket and making his way inside.

"Elizabeth?" He called. He received no answer but her cries abruptly stopped. He followed the flicker of the lantern she had grabbed on the way in and found her not too far from the entrance, huddled under a blanket, wiping her eyes. Jack said nothing as he sat next her, thankful she didn't try to move away from him. "Elizabeth," he repeated softly. "Love I am so sorry. I had no right to yell at you. You've done nothing but put me first these past few weeks and I shouldn't be anything but grateful. I will always need you. I promise. I couldn't make it a single day without you. When you left, which you had every right to do, my heart stopped. I know I've hurt you and I don't know what I can say to make it better but I want you to know that I love you more than life itself. I don't deserve you. You deserve so much better than me but you chose me and I thank God every single day that you did." Elizabeth looked up at him, noticing tears streaming down his face as well. "I am so sorry. More than you will ever know." She wiped his cheek. "Can you ever forgive me?" He asked. Elizabeth slowly nodded her head.

"I love you too Jack." She said. He grabbed her face in his hand and kissed her lightly.

"Just wait until my arm is well again. I'll do anything you want me to do. You name it, darling." He said.

"Well I know one thing you can do now." She said.

"Just say the word." He said.

"You can have this picnic with me and then afterward you can take me home and make it up to me." She said, wiping away the rest of her tears and smiling.

"And how will I ever do that?" He asked.

"Oh I think I can show you." She replied. "And once your arm is better, you can really make it up to me."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello dear readers. Once again, sorry to have been MIA again. Did you see they cast Kevin McGarry and Chris McNally in season 6. Like Jack who? Daniel who? LOL! Too bad I won't be watching cuz those are two handsome fellas that are about to roll into Hope Valley. I know this won't happen cuz it's Hallmark, but then again I did think the same about Jack dying, but I hope she falls instantly in love with one of them and forgets all about Jack. I hope one of them has the good sense to not make her wait forever. Anyways, enough of me ranting. Back to the story. P.S. This chapter is kinda short. Leave a review of what you would like to see next, cuz I'm literally blanking on ideas. #STEAMALERT**

 _1 Week Later_

Elizabeth was bustling about the kitchen, cooking breakfast for her family. Ever since Jack's arm had fully healed, he had been pampering her. Cooking meals, doing laundry, giving the children baths. In her heart, she knew that he was only doing this to show her how much he loved her after the awful things he had said to her in anger, but somewhere in the back of her mind, there was a little voice telling her that all of his independence meant that he didn't really need her around. She knew it was silly but she continued along anyway. About a half hour later, Jack walked into the kitchen. She couldn't deny that he looked rather attractive with his hair all messed up and his pants lying low on his hips. He greeted his wife with a kiss and went to sit down in front of his plate.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but what is all this for?" Jack asked, digging into his food.

"Nothing." She lied.

"Elizabeth, you are a terrible liar." Jack chuckled. "Come here." Elizabeth went to sit on his lap. "Now what's really going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"I don't know." Elizabeth started to tear up. "I just feel like you don't need me anymore."

"What makes you say that?" Jack asked.

"You just seem to have everything under control. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, all on top of work."

"Elizabeth I was only doing all that stuff because I wanted to show you how much I love you." Elizabeth didn't look all that convinced. Jack knew it had to go deeper than that. "Is this about what I said the other week?" He got his answer when Elizabeth didn't respond. "Sweetheart, you have to know that I need you more than anyone in this world. I couldn't do anything without you. Heck, you're the one who taught me all those things. I promise," He kissed her. "I just want you to feel as loved as possible. Okay?" Elizabeth felt somewhat better afterward but Jack knew he still had some convincing to do. After he finished his breakfast, he cleaned his plate off and went to find his wife, who had gone to finish the laundry. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm gonna run into town real quick. I'll be back." He pecked her cheek and was off.

 _In Town_

Jack knocked on Faith's door and waited. A few seconds later, she opened the door, surprised see him.

"Jack, what brings you to town?" She asked pleasantly.

"I was wondering if you could watch Patrick and Lily for the day." He said.

"Of course," she answered. "I'd love to. I've been dying to spend time with those two."

"Great. I'll back in just a bit."

After Jack left Faith's house, he rode back to his own. Upon entering, he heard Elizabeth singing. He walked up the stairs to the nursery and found her rocking the twins to sleep.

"Elizabeth." He called gently, reaching for his son. "Faith has agreed to watch them today." He explained.

"That's awfully nice of her but neither of work today. Why would she need to watch them?" Elizabeth asked, perplexed.

"Because today is just going to be me and you. No distractions. No babies. Just you, me, this house, and all the love we have to offer each other. My goal of today is to make you never doubt how much I love and need you again." He replied, smiling. "How does that sound?" He asked.

"It sounds perfect." She said, getting up to put Lily in the travel carriage. "I'll and get the bag ready." Once the travel bag was packed and the twins were ready, Jack went to drop them off at Faith's house. When he got back home, he lit a few candles in front of the fireplace. He went upstairs to find his wife.

"Sweetheart?" He called.

"In here." She answered from the bathroom. Jack followed the sound of her voice and found her putting her hair in a bun. "Any problems?" She asked, as she finished.

"Nope. They slept like babies." He answered. Elizabeth laughed and took his outstretched hand once she was done with her hair. He led her downstairs in front of the fireplace.

"Jack, you are such a romantic." She said as she sat down with him. "So what exactly did you have in mind for us to do today?" She asked.

"A little bit of this." He said, kissing her lips. "And a little bit of this." His lips moved down to the top of her chest as his hands unbuttoned her blouse. "And some of this." His lips travelled even further south. As he removed the rest of her clothes and started on his own, he felt her soft lips on his neck. Once they were both bare, Jack hovered over Elizabeth, holding himself up on his elbows. He stroked her cheek before kissing her deeply.

"Elizabeth?" He whispered.

"Yes Jack?" She responded.

"You are my whole world. I mean that. I know I haven't always been the best husband or even friend for that matter but you make me want to be better. I love you so much. Your love keeps me going everyday and the thought of coming home to you makes me indescribably happy. What I said about not needing you and needing space, I didn't mean it. I was angry at myself for not being able to provide for you, my wife, as a husband should. I was too arrogant and stupid to remember that said wife is strong and independent and doesn't always need me to take care of her." Elizabeth reached up to caress his face.

"Jack. I love you too. You are my life. My soulmate. You are the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love being your wife. You and Patrick and Lily are the best things that ever happened to me. I'm sorry for making you feel like I'm doubting your love. I feel it everyday."

"Well I still plan to keep my word." He said, kissing her again.

"And what word is that?" She asked."

"The one where I said that I was gonna make sure you never doubt my love." And with that, Jack and his wife got lost in the throws of passion.

An hour later, Jack and Elizabeth laid together on the blanket, still in front of the fireplace.

"Wow." Elizabeth breathed.

"You didn't know I had that in me did you?" Jack chuckled.

"To be honest, no I didn't." Elizabeth laughed.

The two caught their breaths for a minute before Elizabeth turned to face Jack.

"You ready for more?" Elizabeth smiled, seductively. "Now I can show you what I can do."

 _2 Months Later_

"Hey sweetheart." Jack called as he entered the house. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the bathroom." She answered.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked.

"I didn't feel so good." She said, rubbing her stomach.

"Well I told you that chicken was probably not any good." He replied, thinking back to their dinner last night. He had forgone the poultry and settled on her leftover vegetable stew but she, for some strange reason, had _really_ wanted chicken.

"Sweetheart, I don't think it's the chicken that's making me sick."

 _To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry I've been MIA guys. I have been in the hospital. But I'm back now and hopefully will be able to update regularly. I didn't want to update it with an author's note because I didn't want you guys to see an update and then be disappointed that it was only an author's note. That ticks me off more than you will ever know. Also, I'm thinking about starting another story so be on the lookout for that. This isn't a long chapter but were you really expecting one? Anyways, back to the story.**

"Well what do you think it could be that's making you sick then?" Jack asked, starting to become concerned. Suddenly, it all clicked. "Are you having another baby?"

"I think so." Elizabeth said, nodding. As excited as she was at the prospect of having another child, she didn't know if she was ready to handle three children.

"That's amazing!" Jack beamed. His smile faded though, when he noticed her expression. "You're not happy?" He asked.

"No, I am. I'm extremely happy. It's just, how are we gonna handle three little ones?" She asked.

"Hey, listen to me." Jack said, wrapping her small frame in his arms from behind. "If there is another little baby in there," he rubbed her flat stomach. "Then you will be the best mother of three Hope Valley has ever seen. And we will have three beautiful amazing children." Elizabeth nodded in agreement, still looking a bit queasy. "And remember, you are not alone. You have me, Abigail, Clara, Faith. And I just know Patrick and Lily will be the absolute best big brother and sister in the world." That seemed to quell her worries a bit more. She turned to face him.

"How do you always know just what to say?" Elizabeth smiled and wrapped her arms around her husband's middle.

The two left the bathroom and went to check on Patrick and Lily. As they entered their babies' room, they saw the two babbling to one another, almost as if they were having their own little conversation.

"Jack look at them." Elizabeth said. "I definitely wouldn't mind adding another sweet little baby like these two to the mix." Jack looked at Elizabeth with nothing but absolute adoration.

"Me neither." He kissed the top of her head. He headed to the bedroom to change out of his serge and into something more comfortable.

They headed in to the living room. Jack sat down on the sofa and Elizabeth laid next to him with her head on his lap. As he brushed her hair with his fingers, he wondered what life would be like with three children all under two years old. He knew it would probably be hectic ninety percent of the time but it would all be worth it to love his family the way he imagined.

"So we might be having three children soon, huh?" He asked.

"I suppose so." She said.

"What do you think that would be like?" He questioned.

"It would definitely be chaotic will all of them being so little but I just know it would be amazing." She responded. He leaned down and kissed her lips.

"I was thinking the same thing." He replied.

The next day, Elizabeth went back to Carson to see if she was indeed pregnant.

"Elizabeth, it's good to see you. What brings you in today?" Carson asked.

"Well Carson, I think I might be expecting again. I was wondering if you could confirm it. I've been experiencing a lot of the same symptoms as last time."

"Sure, I'd be happy to check for you. If you will just lie on your back on this table for me.

After Elizabeth had left Carson's, she headed off towards the jail to tell her husband the news. However, when she arrived, he was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

"Sweetheart?" She asked, walking over to him. "What's wrong?" He looked up and she saw the tears that were threatening to spill and immediately thought the worst. "Do you have to leave again?" He shook his head no. "Then what is it?" She asked, moving a bit closer. It was only then that she realized that there was an open letter sitting next to him.

"Read it." He said quietly.

 _Dear Jack,_

 _I wanted you to hear this from me personally before you received a generic telegram. We have caught Lincoln Marshall. I know it's been a tough fifteen years for you but he will finally be brought to justice. I know you haven't stopped thinking about finding him but I hope now you will have some peace._

 _-Joseph Dailey_

"I don't understand." Elizabeth said, rubbing his back gently. "Who is Lincoln Marshall?" Jack took a breath and looked at her.

"He's the man who shot and killed my father." He replied, solemnly.

"Oh Jack." Elizabeth wiped one of his fallen tears with the soft pad of her thumb, not even trying to imagine what her husband must be going through.

"I never told you the real reason I became a Mountie." He started, staring into the distance listlessly. "Everyone thinks I became one because my father was one. And while that's partly true, I really became one because I wanted to find this guy and put him away. Before my dad died I wanted to be an artist. After Marshall killed him, I told myself I would not stop until I found him. And now here he is."

"So what do you want to do?" Elizabeth asked, softly.

"Well I'm assuming I'll receive a telegram asking me to testify against him." He paused. "I want nothing more than for him to be behind bars but I don't know if I can see him without losing my whole composure." He explained, the tears falling freely now.

"Well you know that whatever you decide, I will be completely behind you." She bent down and kissed his cheek.

"And that's why I love you so much." He squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile. After a while, he suddenly he remembered why she had come to see him. "So? Are we having another baby?" Elizabeth smiled.

"As a matter of fact, Mr. Thornton, we are." All thoughts of testimonies and criminals instantly vanished from their minds as Jack hugged his wife.

At the end of the day, Jack escorted his wife to their home with their children after picking them up from Julie's house. She had moved there a little over two months ago to help her sister after she had expressed her desire resume teaching. When they got inside, they put Patrick and Lily in their room so they could play while they made dinner.

"So what does my baby have a taste for?" Jack asked, poking her belly.

"Your baby huh?" She smirked. Jack nodded proudly.

"Yes, my baby. That is of course unless you have something to tell me." He said, teasing. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him and smiled.

"You know I will only ever have your babies Jack Thornton." She kissed him sweetly. "And I think your baby has a taste for shepherd's pie."

"Is that so?" Jack asked, kissing her back.

"Yes it is. But you know what I have a taste for?" She started to pull on his shirt. He shook his head. "Oh I think you do." And with that she pulled him off to the bedroom.


End file.
